Several Indian-origin people, including the daughter of former President of Singapore SR Nathan and chief executive in the office of Supreme Court Juthika Ramanathan, were honored for their contributions to the development of the nation during the National Day Awards of Singapore.

During the programme, former President of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam was given the top honor, receiving the Order of Temasek (First Class).

Altogether, 4,624 people were recognized for their momentous contributions to the nation. Recipients came from many-sided backgrounds, including the civil service, educational institutions, and grassroots organizations.

For promoting the Tamil language in Singapore, Indian-origin Rajaram Ramasubban was given the Public Service Medal, who is the chairman of the Tamil Language Council.

Speaking about the importance of language, Rajaram said, "Knowing your language is important because the language is a window to the way of life that you belong to, the culture that you belong to."

"The challenge of preserving the language lies in reaching out to youths and making it attractive for them. Volunteer work is meaningful and that the award serves as an encouragement," he added.

For organizing the historic summit between the United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, seven teams were awarded the President's Certificate of Commendation for their contributions including teams from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Communications and Information, Prime Minister's Office, broadcaster Mediacorp, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Armed Forces as well as a group from 11 other government agencies that supported security operations.